Wading pontoons

ABSTRACT

A water walking apparatus including a pair of pontoons for attachment to the lower leg portions of a user to enable him to propel himself through water. The pontoons include ballast tanks which may have means by which the user may alter the buoyancy of the apparatus during use, and also includes a plurality of hinged flippers so that the user may propel himself in a walking movement or an alternate hand operated propelling means may be employed.

United States Patent [191 Dougherty [451 Sept. 18, 1973 WADING PONTOONS [76] Inventor: Earle T. Dougherty, 3420 N. 71st Ave., Phoenix, Ariz. 85033 22 Filed: on. 4, 1972 211 App]. No.: 294,966

[52] 11.8. CI. 9/310 D, 115/26 [51] Int. Cl. A63c 15/04 [58] Field 01' Search 9/310 D, 310 R; 114/121, 125; 115/26, 26.1, 26.3

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,413,602 4/1922 Michalski 9/310 D 3,034,157 5/1962 Abajian 9/310 D FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,678 1/1913 Great Britain 9/310 D Primary ExaminerMilton Buchler Assistant ExaminerPaul E. Sauberer Attorney-Herbert E. Haynes, Jr.

[57] ABSTRACT A water walking apparatus including a pair of pontoons for attachment to the lower leg portions of a user to enable him to propel himself through water. The pontoons include ballast tanks which may have means by which the user may alter the buoyancy of the apparatus during use, and also includes a plurality of hinged flippers so that the user may propel himself in a walking movement or an alternate hand operated propelling means may be employed.

14 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures PArimsn' tm 3.758.898

I SHEET 3 BF 3 WADING PONTOONS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention pertains to water walking devices and more particularly to novel wading pontoons having means for adjusting the buoyancy thereof and which are suitable for various methods of propulsion.

2. Description of the Prior Art Many attempts have been made to devise a practical apparatus which would enable a user to propel himself through water while in a standing position. Although the prior art devices have taken many forms, they have generally proven unsatisfactory due to either complexity, difficulty of manufacture, size, costs and the like.

Various problems exist with devices of this nature which is believed to have kept these devices from becoming commercially acceptable.

One such problem is control, i.e., as the user propels himself through the water with a walking movement, there is a natural tendency for the individual floats or shoes to drift apart. One specific prior art attempt to solve the control problem is evidenced in U. S. Pat. No. 3,242,898 to Livaudais, and as seen therein a relatively complex boat-like structure resulted.

Heretofore, the prior art floats were made large enough to support the heaviest user and thus resulted in bulky devices which were hard to transport over land.

In general, the prior art devices employed ski-shaped or surfboard shaped floats having very little displacement which depended solely on the size of the apparatus and the user, thus making a good sense of balance a prerequisite to use of this type of structure. Oftentimes due to the width of the individual floats, these prior art devices required that the user assume a straddle'legged position which made control of the device difficult and rapidly tired the user.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the present invention a waterwalking apparatus is disclosed which overcomes some of the problems associated with prior art devices of this type and which includes a pair of pontoon members each of which is elongated and has a substantially rect angular in cross-section configuration with the height dimension being larger than the width. The pontoons are guided and held in a substantially vertical position by the user's lower leg portions which are encased in boots mounted adjacent to the inwardly disposed facing surfaces of the juxtaposed pontoons. Each of the pontoons is formed of a body portion fabricated of a buoyant material and has a ballast tank positioned adjacent to the lower portion and which may also include means by which the user can alter the buoyancy of the apparatus.

The pontoons may be equipped with a plurality of hinged flippers on their respective outwardly disposed surfaces so that the user may propel himself through the water by a shuffling motion of his feet.

An alternate propulsion means may be employed which includes a hand operated cable and pulley system by which the user propels himself through the water by causing the pontoons to perform a scissor-like action.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and useful water-walking apparatus.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and useful water-walking apparatus having means thereon for automatically adjusting the buoyancy or may include means by which the user may adjust the buoyancy.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and useful water-walking apparatus which includes a pair of pontoons of elongated generally rectangular in cross-section configuration which are used in a position where the largest surfaces are substantially vertical to provide user comfort and ease of control.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention, as well as the invention itself, may be more fully understood when read in conjunction with the following drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the water-walking apparatus of the present invention being operated by a user and incorporating the various features of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of one pontoon which forms part of the water-walking apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 44 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 55 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary plan view of one of the hinged flippers which form part of a foot operated propulsion means by which the apparatus of the present invention may be propelled through the water.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the water-walking apparatus of the present invention having a hand operated propulsion means thereon and illustrating the propulsion movements imparted to the apparatus by said means. 7 FIG. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of a portion of the propulsion means shown in FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary plan view taken on the line 10-10 of FIG. 9.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring more particularly to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates the water-walking apparatus of the present invention which is indicated generally by the reference numeral 10, and is shown to include a pair of pontoons 11 and 12 being worn on the lower leg portions 13 of a user 14.

The pontoons 11 and 12 are each formed into an elongated structure of generally rectangular crosssectional configuration with the height dimension being larger than the width dimension. This type of structure has two advantages, the first being that the pontoons may be positioned in a close juxtaposed relationship thus not requiring the user to assume an exaggerated straddle-legged position, and the second advantage being that the largest surface area of the pontoons will be the side edges so that the pontoons will resist lateral movements.

The pontoons l1 and 12 are of similar construction with one being the mirror-image of the other, thus the following detailed description of the pontoons while being limited to pontoon 12 will apply to the pontoon 11 as well.

The pontoon 12 is made up of basically two elements namely a body 16 and a ballast tank 18. The body 16 is preferrably molded or otherwise formed of a buoyant material such as closed cell expanded polystyrene as typified by a commercial product Styrofoam. An alternate method of construction (not shown) would be to form a suitable support frame which is covered with a waterproof material such as glass fiber impregnated with resin.

The ballast tank 18 may be fabricated of any material which will form an airtight and waterproof structure so that the amounts of water and air that are containable within the tanks may be accurately controlled by the user to adjust the buoyancy as will hereinafter be described. The tank 18 may be fabricated by any of several well known techniques such as sheet metal suitably welded, formed glass fiber impregnated with resin or the like.

In any event, the body 16 and tank 18 are assembled, or integrally formed to provide the pontoon 12 with elongated side surfaces 20 and 22 which are interconnected at their upper end by a deck 24, and are interconnected at their lower ends by a keel 26. The deck 24 and keel 26 extend longitudinally between a bow 28 and a stem 30. As best seen in FIG. 2, the sides 20 and 22 are of longitudinally extending arcuate configuration to form the pontoon into a streamlined shape with a laterally bulging midship portion which tapers fore and aft into the substantially pointed bow 28 and stern 30.

At a central location substantially intermediate the bow 28 and stem 30 there is a boot member 32' into which a user may insert his lower leg portion 13. It will be noted, particularly in FIGS. 2 and 3, that the boot 32 is laterally offset to place it adjacent to the side surface 20 and is transverse to the longitudinal dimension thereof, which thus does not require the user to assume an exaggerated straddle-legged position.

The boot 32 is provided with a substantially cylindrical upper portion 34 for encasing the ankle and calf of the lower leg portion 13 and has a shoe portion 36 for encasing the user's foot. The shoe 36 is located adjacent to the keel 26 within a vertically extending notch 33 formed in the side of the ballast tank 18, and the upper portion 34 extends upwardly through the body 16 to the deck 24 of the pontoon 12. Due to this positioning, a relatively stable device will result due to the low center of gravity and thus will not require a keen sense of balance on the part of the user.

The boot 32 is located so that the ball of the users foot will be located substantially intermediate the bow 28 and stem 30, so that rocking motions of the pontoon in a plane laying through the longitudinal center line of the pontoon will be held to a minimum.

By the calf of the user being encased with the boot 32 as previously described, lateral rocking of the pontoon is easily controlled by the lower leg portion of the user and the pontoon will be easily maintained in an upright position.

As best seen in FIG. the ballast tank 18 comprises a main tank compartment 38 which extends vertically upwardly from the keel 26 and has an upper wall 39 which is flush with the deck 24, and is located just forward of the boot 32. The tank 18 further includes a plurality of forward auxiliary compartments 40 and rear auxiliary compartments 41 which extend vertically upwardly from the keel 26 approximately half the distance from the keel 26 to the deck 24. The forward auxiliary compartments 40 are positioned to extend forwardly from the main compartment toward the bow 28, and the rear auxiliary compartments 41 extend rearwardly from the main compartment toward the stern 30. The forward tanks 40 and rear tanks 41 are separated from each other and from the main compartment by baffle means which includes a plurality of baffle plates 42. Each of the baffles 42 is provided with upper apertures 44 formed therein to prevent uneven air entrapment from occurring within the individual compartments 38, 40 and 41. The baffles 42 are each provided with lower apertures 46 to ensure that water entering into the tank 18, through a plurality of apertures 48 formed along the length of the keel 26, will be substantially evenly distributed within the several compartments. Therefore, it may be easily seen that the baffles 42 will allow free passage of air between the compartments, and will allow restricted passage of water therebetween to prevent sloshing of the water which would otherwise produce undesirable stability problems.

When the pontoons 11 and 12 are in use, water will enter through the apertures 48 into the several compartments 38, 40 and 41 and will continue to enter until a state of equilibrium is reached between the air pressure and the water pressure, thus, the buoyancy supplied to the pontoons l1 and 12 by the tanks 18 will automatically be at a maximum amount and this maximum amount will be determined by the weight of the user.

The upper wall 39 of the main compartment 38 may be provided with a user operated valve 52 of a conventional type which may be employed to regulate the amount of air contained within the tank 18, and thereby alter the buoyancy. Should the user desire to reduce the amount of buoyancy, he merely has to allow a desired portion of compressed air to escape from the tanks 18 by means of the hand operated valves 52 which are normally closed. If after a reduction in the buoyancy has been accomplished as described, and the user desires to return to the maximum buoyancy, he may do so by opening the valves 52 (one at a time) and simultaneously lifting the pontoon vertically with his leg which will allow air to enter and the water to escape. This same procedure may be employed to completely expel the water from the tanks 18 when the user desires to leave the water and return to land.

The upper wall 39 of tanks 18 of each pontoon 11 and 12 may have a clevis member 54 suitably mounted thereon to which a pole 56 is pivotably mounted by means of a pivot pin 58. The poles 56 are movable from a position of being flush with the deck 24 into a substantially upright position, as shown best in FIG. 5, and may be employed by the user to aid in control of the pontoons and to also aid him in propelling the appara tus through the water as will be explained in detail.

One method of propulsion will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 6 and 7 wherein it will be seen that the outwardly facing side surface 22 of pontoon 12 has a plurality of flippers 60 mounted thereon. The flippers 60 are spacedly arranged in increments along the length of the side 22 and are each secured thereto by means of a hinge 62. As best seen in FIG. 7 the hinge 62 is suitably secured to the side 22 and to the flipper 60 and is provided with a stop 64 which .limits flipper movement between the extended position shown in dotted lines and the flush position shown in solid lines.

To propel the pontoons 11 and 12 through the water when they are equipped with the flippers 60, the user employs a walking motion which in the absence of the flippers would amount to merely a shuffling of his feet as the pontoons would move equally as well in either a forward or backward direction. However, with the flippers 60, forward movement of the pontoons may be easily accomplished as the flippers 60 will pivot flush with the side 22 due to the force of the water. During backward movement of the users legs, the flippers 60 will move to the extended position and thus resist backward movement of the pontoons.

The poles 56 may be employed by the user to accomplish this form of propulsion by allowing him to use his arms to assume some of the work load which would otherwise be totally required by the legs.

An alternate method of propulsion is illustrated in H68. 8, 9 and wherein the elements and operation of a hand operated system are shown.

A screw-eye 66, or other suitable attaching device, is mounted on the forward portion of the deck 24 adjacent to the bow 28 of the pontoon 11. A cable 68 is suitably attached to the screw-eye 66 and extends laterally from the bow 28 of pontoon 11 and passes around a first pulley 70 mounted on the forward portion of the deck 24 adjacent to the bow 28 of pontoon 12. The pulley 70 is positioned with its axis of rotation perpendicular to the deck 24 so that the cable 68 in passing around the pulley 70 will change direction and extend rearwardly from the bow 28 of pontoon 12. A second pulley 72 is mounted on the deck 24 of the pontoon 12 adjacent to the boot 32, and is positioned so that its axis of rotation is parallel to the surface of the deck 24 and is transverse to the longitudinal dimension thereof. The cable 68 passes around this second pulley 72 which again changes its direction so that it is now extending upwardly from the deck 24. To maintain this upwardly directed position, the pulley 72 is provided with an upstanding tube 74 formed thereon through which the cable 68 is slidably movable. A gripping handle 76 is suitably attached to the upstanding terminal end of the cable 68, thus positioning it within easy grasp of the user 14.

A second screw-eye 78 is mounted on the deck 24 adjacent to the stern 30 of the pontoon 12. A cable 80 is suitably attached to the screw-eye 78 and extends laterally from the pontoon 12 toward the pontoon l l. The pontoon 11 has a third pulley 82, similar to the first pulley 70, around which the cable 80 passes so as to ex tend forwardly from the stern 30 toward a fourth pulley 84 similar to the second pulley 72. The pulley 84 is provided with an upstanding tube 86 through which the cable 80 is slidably movable to maintain the cable 80 in an upstanding position and present a gripping handle 88 attached thereto within easy grasp of the user 14.

The cable 68 and its associated pulleys 70 and 72 are identical to the cable 80 and its associated pulleys 82 and 84 with the difference being that cable 68 couples the respective bow portions of the pontoons l1 and 12 while the cable 80 couples the stern portions thereof.

With the handles 76 and 88 positioned adjacent to the boots 32 as previously described, the user 14 will be pulling upwardly thereon and thus no adverse effect on the stability of the apparatus will occur as a result of this movement.

It may now be seen that a user by pulling upwardly on handle 76 will cause the bows 28 to move toward each other which starts movement of the pontoons 11 and 12 in a forward direction by water pressure acting on the juxtaposed surfaces 20 of the pontoons. The second movement will be the pulling upwardly on the handle 88 which will pull the stems toward each other in a scissor-like movement. When this action is completed the pontoons will be gliding in a forward direction at a fairly good rate of speed. During the gliding, the bows will be allowed to drift apart and will thus cause a drifting apart of the stems. When the pontoons 11 and 12 have drifted apart a distance substantially equal to the starting distance, shown in solid lines of FIG. 8, the motions may be repeated to accelerate or continue forward movement.

It should be apparent that the above procedure as described with regard to obtaining forward motion may be reversed to produce backward movement of the pontoons through the water.

It is contemplated that the pontoons 11 and 12 will be used by fishermen among others, and it may be desired by the user that he stand still in a current. This may be accomplished by locking of the bows against movement towards each other and simply causing the stems to move in a fish-tailing type of movement. Locking of the bows and moving the stems would, of course, be employed to stand still in a current only if the user were facing upstream. If he were facing downstream, the sterns would be locked and the bows moved in a fish-tail motion.

It should be noted that the fish-tailing motion could be'applied to the pontoons by occasionally pulling upwardly on the appropriate handle 76 or 88. In the case of a fisherman, however, he may be too busy with his fishing equipment and could produce the fish-tailing movement by simply moving his legs together.

As seen best in FIG. 10, the upstanding tube 74 of pulley 72 is provided with an upwardly disposed flange 90 in which there is formed a radially disposed notch 92. A similar flange 94 having a notch 96 (FIG. 8) is provided on the tube 86 of pulley 84. To lock the bows against movement, the user may take the cable 68 and pull it into the notch 92 and similarly, movement of the cable into its notch 96 will lock the stems against movement toward each other. Cable engaging gromets 98 may be provided in the notches 92 and 96 to prevent the cables from slipping.

While the principles of the invention have now been made clear in an illustrated embodiment, there will be immediately obvious to those skilled in the art, many modifications of structure, arrangements, proportions, the elements, materials, and components used in the practice of the invention, and otherwise, which are particularly adapted for specific environments and operation requirements without departing from those principles. The appended claims are therefore intended to cover and embrace any such modifications within the limits only of the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

l. A pair of water-walking pontoons each of said pontoons comprising:

a. an elongated body of rigid buoyant construction;

b. a ballast tank on the lower end of said body and extending longitudinally therewith, said ballast tank having a vertically extending notch formed in one side surface thereof intermediate its longitudinal ends, said ballast tank adapted to entrap air therein when placed in water and has a plurality of apertures formed in the downwardly facing wall thereof through which water may enter until a state of equilibrium is reached between the entrapped air pressure and the water pressure;

c. a boot within the notch of said ballast tank and extending upwardly through said body, said boot for removably encasing the lower leg portion of a user; and

d. flipper means hingedly mounted on the other side surface of said ballast tank for pivotable movement between flush and extended positions with respect thereto.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein a portion of said ballast tank extends upwardly through said body and has an upper wall substantially flush with the upper surface of said body, the upper wall having a normally closed valve means mounted therein through which air may pass to adjust the buoyancy of said ballast tank.

3. A water-walking apparatus comprising:

a. a pair of elongated pontoons juxtapositionally operable with respect to each other, each of said pontoons having a body of rigid buoyant construction and having a longitudinally extending ballast tank on the lower portion thereof, the ballast tanks each having a plurality of water admitting apertures formed in the downwardly facing portion thereof;

b. valve means on the upper portion of the ballast tank of each of said pontoons by which the amount of air in the tanks may be altered to adjust the buoyancy of said pontoons;

c. a pair of boots each formed on a different one of said pontoons for removably encasing the lower leg portions of a user; and

d. flipper means hingedly mounted on each of said pontoons for pivotable movement between flush and extended positions with respect to said pontoons.

4. A water-walking apparatus as claimed in claim 3 further comprising a pole mounted on the deck of each of said pontoons and pivotably movable between a first position flush and longitudinally extending with the deck and a second position substantially normal thereto.

5. A water-walking apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein the ballast tank of each of said pontoons comprises:

a. a main compartment vertically extending between the keel and deck of said pontoon;

b. at least one forward auxiliary compartment extending from said main compartment toward the bow of said pontoon;

c. at least one rear auxiliary compartment extending from said main compartment toward the stern of said pontoon; and

d. baffle means separatingly positioned between said main compartment and said forward auxiliary compartment and between said main compartment and said rear auxiliary compartment for allowing free passage of air and restricted passage of water therebetween. v

6. A water-walking apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein the ballast tank of each of said pontoons comprises:

a. a main compartment vertically extending from the keel to the deck of said pontoon;

b. a plurality of forward auxiliary compartments extending from said main compartment toward the bow of said pontoon, said forward compartments separated from each other and from said main compartment by baffle plates, said baffel plates each having upper apertures formed therein for the free passage of air and having lower apertures formed therein for restricting the passage of water; and

c. a plurality of rear auxiliary compartments extending from said main compartment toward the stern of said pontoon, said rear compartments separated from each other and from said main compartments by baffle plates, said baffel plates each having upper apertures formed therein for free passage of air and having lower apertures formed therein for restricting the passage of water.

7. A water-walking apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein each of said pair of boots is mounted in alaterally offset position with respect to the longitudinal dimension of their respective ones of said pair of pontoons.

8. A water-walking apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein each of said pair of boots is mounted in a position intermediate the bow and stern and extending upwardly from the keel to the deck of their respective ones of said pair of pontoons.

9. A water-walking apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein each of said pair of elongated pontoons is substantially rectangular in cross-section with the height dimension larger than the width dimension.

10. A water-walking apparatus comprising:

a. a pair of elongated pontoons juxtapositionally operable with respect to each other, each of said pontoons having a body of rigid buoyant construction and having a longitudinally extending ballast tank on the lower portion thereof, the ballast tanks each having a plurality of water admitting apertures formed in the downwardly facing portion thereof;

b. a pair of boots each formed on a different one of said pair of pontoons in a position substantially intermediate the bow and stern thereof, and in a laterally off-set position with respect to the longitudinal center line thereof; and

c. propulsion means interconnecting the bow portions and the stern portions of said pair of pontoons for alternately moving the bows toward each other and the stems toward each other to produce a scissor-line movement.

11. A water-walking apparatus as claimed in claim 10 wherein each of the ballast tanks of said pontoons is provided with a valve means on the upper portion thereof by which air may be allowed to escape from and enter into the ballast tanks to adjust the buoyancy thereof.

12. A water-walking apparatus as claimed in claim 10 wherein said propulsion means comprises:

a. a first cable attached to and extending laterally from the bow of a first one of said pontoons toward the bow of a second one of said pontoons;

b. a first pulley mounted adjacent to the bow of said second pontoon for engaging said first cable and from which said first cable extends toward the stern of said second pontoon;

c. a second pulley mounted adjacent to said bottom of said secoiid pontoon for engaging said first cable and directing it upwardly;

d. a handle grip attached to the upwardly directed terminal end of said first cable;

e. a second cable attached to and extending laterally from the stern of said second pontoon toward the stern of said first pontoon;

f. a third pulley mounted adjacent to the stern of said first pontoon for engaging said second cable and directing it toward the bow of said first pontoon;

g. a fourth pulley mounted adjacent to said boot of said first pontoon for engaging said second cable and directing it upwardly; and

h. a handle grip attached to the upwardly directed terminal end of said second cable.

13. A water-walking apparatus as claimed in claim 12 wherein said second pulley and said fourth pulley are each provided with an upstanding tube, said first cable being slidably movable through the tube of said second pulley and said second cable being slidably movable through the tube of said fourth pulley.

14. A water-walking apparatus as claimed in claim 12 wherein said propulsion means further comprises a means on said second pontoon for locking said first cable against movement and means on said first pontoon for locking said second cable against movement. t t 

1. A pair of water-walking pontoons each of said pontoons comprising: a. an elongated body of rigid buoyant construction; b. a ballast tank on the lower end of said body and extending longitudinally therewith, said ballast tank having a vertically extending notch formed in one side surface thereof intermediate its longitudinal ends, said ballast tank adapted to entrap air therein when placed in water and has a plurality of apertures formed in the downwardly facing wall thereof through which water may enter until a state of equilibrium is reached between the entrapped air pressure and the water pressure; c. a boot within the notch of said ballast tank and extending upwardly through said body, said boot for removably encasing the lower leg portion of a user; and d. flipper means hingedly mounted on the other side surface of said ballast tank for pivotable movement between flush and extended positions with respect thereto.
 2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein a portion of said ballast tank extends upwardly through said body and has an upper wall substantially flush with the upper surface of said body, the upper wall having a normally closed valve means mounted therein through which air may pass to adjust the buoyancy of said ballast tank.
 3. A water-walking apparatus comprising: a. a pair of elongated pontoons juxtapositionally operable with respect to each other, each of said pontoons having a body of rigid buoyant construction and having a longitudinally extending ballast tank on the lower portion thereof, the ballast tanks each having a plurality of water admitting apertures formed in the downwardly facing portion thereof; b. valve means on the upper portion of the ballast tank of each of said pontoons by which the amount of air in the tanks may be altered to adjust the buoyancy of said pontoons; c. a pair of boots each formed on a different one of said pontoons for removably encasing the lower leg portions of a user; and d. flipper means hingedly mounted on each of said pontoons for pivotable movement between flush and extended positions with respect to said pontoons.
 4. A water-walking apparatus as claimed in claim 3 further comprising a pole mounted on the deck of each of said pontoons and pivotably movable between a first position flush and longitudinally extending with the deck and a second position substantially normal thereto.
 5. A water-walking apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein the ballast tank of each of said pontoons comprises: a. a main compartment vertically extending between the keel and deck of said pontoon; b. at least one forward auxiliary compartment extending from said main compartment toward the bow of said pontoon; c. at least one rear auxiliary compartment extending from said main compartment toward the stern of said pontoon; and d. baffle means separatingly positioned between said main compartment and said forward auxiliary compartment and between said main compartment and said rear auxiliary compartment for allowing free passage of air and restricted passage of water therebetween.
 6. A water-walking apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein the ballast tank of each of said pontoons comprises: a. a main compartment vertically extending from the keel to the deck of said pontoon; b. a plurality of forward auxiliary compartments extending from said main compartment toward The bow of said pontoon, said forward compartments separated from each other and from said main compartment by baffle plates, said baffel plates each having upper apertures formed therein for the free passage of air and having lower apertures formed therein for restricting the passage of water; and c. a plurality of rear auxiliary compartments extending from said main compartment toward the stern of said pontoon, said rear compartments separated from each other and from said main compartments by baffle plates, said baffel plates each having upper apertures formed therein for free passage of air and having lower apertures formed therein for restricting the passage of water.
 7. A water-walking apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein each of said pair of boots is mounted in a laterally offset position with respect to the longitudinal dimension of their respective ones of said pair of pontoons.
 8. A water-walking apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein each of said pair of boots is mounted in a position intermediate the bow and stern and extending upwardly from the keel to the deck of their respective ones of said pair of pontoons.
 9. A water-walking apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein each of said pair of elongated pontoons is substantially rectangular in cross-section with the height dimension larger than the width dimension.
 10. A water-walking apparatus comprising: a. a pair of elongated pontoons juxtapositionally operable with respect to each other, each of said pontoons having a body of rigid buoyant construction and having a longitudinally extending ballast tank on the lower portion thereof, the ballast tanks each having a plurality of water admitting apertures formed in the downwardly facing portion thereof; b. a pair of boots each formed on a different one of said pair of pontoons in a position substantially intermediate the bow and stern thereof, and in a laterally off-set position with respect to the longitudinal center line thereof; and c. propulsion means interconnecting the bow portions and the stern portions of said pair of pontoons for alternately moving the bows toward each other and the sterns toward each other to produce a scissor-line movement.
 11. A water-walking apparatus as claimed in claim 10 wherein each of the ballast tanks of said pontoons is provided with a valve means on the upper portion thereof by which air may be allowed to escape from and enter into the ballast tanks to adjust the buoyancy thereof.
 12. A water-walking apparatus as claimed in claim 10 wherein said propulsion means comprises: a. a first cable attached to and extending laterally from the bow of a first one of said pontoons toward the bow of a second one of said pontoons; b. a first pulley mounted adjacent to the bow of said second pontoon for engaging said first cable and from which said first cable extends toward the stern of said second pontoon; c. a second pulley mounted adjacent to said bottom of said second pontoon for engaging said first cable and directing it upwardly; d. a handle grip attached to the upwardly directed terminal end of said first cable; e. a second cable attached to and extending laterally from the stern of said second pontoon toward the stern of said first pontoon; f. a third pulley mounted adjacent to the stern of said first pontoon for engaging said second cable and directing it toward the bow of said first pontoon; g. a fourth pulley mounted adjacent to said boot of said first pontoon for engaging said second cable and directing it upwardly; and h. a handle grip attached to the upwardly directed terminal end of said second cable.
 13. A water-walking apparatus as claimed in claim 12 wherein said second pulley and said fourth pulley are each provided with an upstanding tube, said first cable being slidably movable through the tube of said second pulley and said second cable being slidably movable through the tube of said fourth pulley.
 14. A water-walking apparatus as claImed in claim 12 wherein said propulsion means further comprises a means on said second pontoon for locking said first cable against movement and means on said first pontoon for locking said second cable against movement. 